First pitch set for 3 p.m. at Lindsey Nelson Stadium

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (Feb. 25, 2013) – For the first time this season, the ETSU baseball team hits the road as the Bucs carry their six-game winning streak into Knoxville for a midweek showdown with Tennessee on Tuesday. First pitch is set for 3 p.m., from Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

LAST TIME OUT FOR THE BUCS

The Blue and Gold (6-1) are coming off a perfect 4-0 week after defeating Wofford, 12-10, on Tuesday, while picking up a series sweep against Seton Hall over the weekend. ETSU got strong outings from starters Kerry Doane (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) and Jimmy Nesselt (Plantation, Fla.), while junior lefty Clinton Freeman (Jonesborough, Tenn.) tossed four scoreless innings in relief (three appearances) en route to earning a pair of wins and a save. Doane earned the win on Friday night after tossing a complete game and allowing three runs on nine hits, while striking out five and walking none. Despite getting a no-decision on Sunday, Nesselt gave the Bucs eight strong innings as he issued three runs (two earned) on eight hits and struck out five.

At the plate, Andrew Green (Powell, Tenn.) hit safely in all four games as the senior outfielder hit .533 (8-15) with a double, triple, two home runs, five runs scored and seven RBI, while Dylan Tritsch (Boca Raton, Fla.) and Chris Riopedre (Miami, Fla.) provided late inning heroics for the Blue and Gold versus Seton Hall. Riopedre – who hit .357 (5-14) with two homers and seven RBI for the week – had the two-out, walk-off home run in Saturday’s 9-8 win against the Pirates. On Sunday, Tritsch capped off the sweep when his two-out single in the 10th scored Alex Reynolds (Johnson City, Tenn.), giving the Blue and Gold the 4-3 win in extras. For the week, Tritsch was 8-for-16 with a triple, three runs scored and three RBI.

ABOUT TENNESSEE

- The Volunteers enter Tuesday’s game with a 2-5 mark after losing three of four at UNLV to start the season and dropped two of three to then No. 20 Arizona State this past weekend in Knoxville.

- Through the first seven games, Tennessee’s pitchers have held the opposition to a .248 batting average (62-250), while junior infielder Scott Price is hitting team-best .367 and sophomore infielder Will Maddox boasts a .344 batting average.

- Despite its 2-5 start to the season, Tennessee has actually outscored its opponents in both series (UNLV 23-21, Arizona State 12-11) and for the season (35-32).

SERIES HISTORY

- Tuesday marks the 71st all-time meeting between the two programs, with Tennessee leading the series, 56-14, but the Bucs have won five of the last six games versus the Vols since 2009.

- Both teams won on their home field last season as ETSU defeated Tennessee, 4-3, back on April 11 in Johnson City, while the Vols snapped their five-game losing skid to the Bucs by coming away with a 5-4 win six days later in Knoxville.

- Clinton Freeman went 2-for-5 with two runs scored, two RBI and three walks in the series last year, while Kerry Doane earned the win after allowing just two runs in 6.2 innings of work.

PITCHING MATCHUP

ETSU sends senior right-hander Derek Bushey (Richmond, Va.) to the mound and Tennessee will answer with freshman righty Matt Esparza. Bushey has only made one appearance for the Bucs this season as he tossed two-thirds of an inning versus Penn State back on Feb. 17, while Esparza suffered the loss in the start against UNLV on Feb. 16.

COVERAGE

- Live stats will be available for Tuesday’s game via StatBroadcast by visiting ETSUBucs.com. Fans can access live stats on their computers, mobile devices or tablets.

- Tennessee will offer live video of the game by visiting UTSports.com.

- Live updates will also be posted on Twitter by following @ETSUAthletics and @ETSU_Baseball.

TEXTCASTER

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